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In my time, I’ve worked in a lot of kitchens with nice cabinetry under the sink, and let me tell you, a good kitchen cabinet set can be the pride and joy of a house. But if there’s one thing that can spoil quality woodworking fast or slow, it’s a bad faucet. A lot of my kitchen jobs have been ruined by people who put in a crappy faucet that leaks water all over the wood and starts rotting things away. I’ve also seen a lot of people just totally downgrade the quality of the whole kitchen by putting up a crappy faucet that drags down the class of the whole cabinet and wall. So it’s a bit thing to make sure you get right.

As a handyman from time to time, I’ve gotten good at installing sink faucets and doing basic plumbing jobs. That’s also meant I’ve had to get pretty familiar with the nightmare faucets as well as the really nice ones. So, this blog is about how you want to choose your kitchen faucet.

First things first, one rule I have whenever I’m helping people put in a plumbing fixture is that there should be no chrome plastic in your house. A lot of faucets and shower heads these days are a really bright and shiny metal that’s called chrome, and what that basically means is they’ve taken a piece of PVC, sanded it smooth, and slapped some metallic paint on it. That’s the best case scenario, because the paint will just chip, but the PVC will work, as long as you don’t mind having an incredibly cheap feeling faucet that looks like hell. The worst case scenario is that they’ve taken a cheap metal and dressed it up, so it corrodes under the paint and stops leaking.

Whatever you want your faucet to look like or feel like, you have to stay away from chrome. You can avoid it by looking for real metal tags. The common ones you can buy are nickel, brass, and bronze. There are knock-off versions of all of those, but they’re easy to spot, and they’re way less common than shitty chrome. So always choose a real metal that’s solid, not painted on. Definitely best to avoid plastic components inside wherever you can, but you should know that PVC is pretty common these days because it doesn’t rust.

I also tell all my clients to look for long warranties on faucets, because you shouldn’t have to replace something like that. I usually end up with lifetime warranties, as long as I’m sticking to one of the big brands.

That brings me to my next piece of advice, which is to always know that big brands are safest: Moen, Delta, Kohler. They’ve been making faucets a lot longer than any newer brand, and they have reputations to maintain, which makes them puts some more effort into making good products that last.

Remember, no matter how good a faucet looks or feels, it’s only as good as its track record. That’s why I read a lot of reviews online to see how faucets hold up over time, because it’s not worth my time or your money to put in something that’s going to let you down before you know it. kitchenfaucets.reviews is a good source for that sort of track record research, and you can also ask a plumber or handyman which ones they’ve had luck with.

Oh, and one last tip: go analog instead of getting one of these fancy touch-less faucets. They’re a good idea in theory, but they don’t work very well and I’ve seen too many of them develop problems and ruin my carpentry work to be able to recommend them. I’d stay away until they’ve had a few more years of refinements.

There are a number of ways that a homeowner can fix up their home without going broke. When a person is getting ready to sell or if they just want to improve the look of their home there are some things to keep in mind.

The actual cost for the project is going to vary. This will be based on the condition of the home and the real estate market in that area.

.1 Make the kitchen an area that is designed for cooking. The kitchen is often considered to be the heart of a home. Potential buyers should be drawn to the kitchen. This room should clean and it should have an updated look.

All it costs is a couple of hundred dollars to replace the faucet, add new cabinet handles, and add modern energy efficient lighting. A better kitchen faucet can make the home more functional as well.

There are things that can be done to the kitchen even when working with a small budget. A refacing company can make cabinets look new again. Many companies will refinish the cabinet box and put new doors or drawers in. A new coat of paint will make the cabinets look great. If a person is handy they can even replace the doors themselves. Cabinet doors can be purchased at stores such as Lowes or Home Depot.

.2 Make over the appliances. If the appliances do not match the color the kitchen get new doors or panels. Mixed matched kitchen are not appealing to buyers. For example if a room a has white dishwashers but everything else is stainless steel this is unattractive.

Many dishwashers panels are reversible. One site is white and the other is black. The manufacturer can also be contacted to possible order a new door in a new color. To change the panel all a person has to do is unscrew it and flip it around.

If the color of the kitchen match it is more appealing to buyers and allow a person to get a higher price for their home.

.3 Check out the bathroom. Next to the kitchen the bathroom is the most used room in the home. A bathroom can be updated without spending a lot of money. Things such as getting a new toilet seat or a pedestal sink are easy to install and can improve the look of the bathroom.

An old bathroom floor can be updated with vinyl tile or sheet vinyl. This is simple enough for a homeowner to install. They can go right over the old flooring.

If the shower needs updating re grout and replace any broken tile. A prefabricated shower can also be installed.

.4 Increase Storage

Old homes are known to have a lack of storage area. If the home is cramped there are some do it yourself wire and laminated closet systems that can be added to a bedroom, entry closet, or even a pantry.

Closetmaid and similar company will allow a person to measure and design their cabinet over the internet. There are many great design details that can be added. There are also storage systems at home improvement stores. These projects can often be completed within a weeks’ time.

The closets will make the home more functional and will help make the home look more organized.

.5 There are ways to add a room to the home in one week or less. If the home has three bedrooms as well as a den the den is not considered to be a bedroom because it does not have a closet. Adding a closet to this room will make the home into a four bedroom home. This will increase the value a great deal.

To add a custom closet system as well as the drywall needed for it usually costs less than $1,500..6 Be mindful of the mechanics. There are some things that needed to be taken care of. Before calling the professionals take a look at the wires in the home. Wrap any wires that are loose, fix outlets that are not working, and check the plumbing system to make sure there are no leaks. Taking care of these measures will show potential buyers that a person has taken good care of their home. It can also get a higher price for the home.

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Who is Dave?

Dave Bagley is a carpenter from Oakley, Utah who created this site to share his home repair knowledge with the world.

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